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The Trump administration harshly criticized the United Kingdom over its handling of mass immigration and the long-running rape gang scandal that has victimized white girls across the country.

In a statement posted to X, the U.S. State Department called on its Europe-based diplomats to track the effects of rampant immigration. While the statement zeroed in on the U.K., it also highlighted similar problems in Germany and Sweden.

‘The State Department instructed U.S. embassies to report on the human rights implications and public safety impacts of mass migration,’ the statement read. ‘Officials will also report policies that punish citizens who object to continued mass migration and document crimes and human rights abuses committed by people of a migration background.’

The statement referenced the so-called ‘grooming gangs’ made up of mostly Pakistani men who have victimized young girls for decades, with little action taken by the government.

‘In the United Kingdom, thousands of girls have been victimized in Rotherham, Oxford, and Newcastle by grooming gangs involving migrant men,’ the State Department said. ‘Many girls were left to suffer unspeakable abuse for years before authorities stepped in.’

A day after the statement, GB News reported that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters at the G20 in South Africa that the national inquiry would ‘leave no stone unturned.’

The State Department’s warning comes weeks after several victims — who were members of the independent inquiry — resigned over what they claimed was a continuation of a cover-up. 

One abuse survivor, Ellie Reynolds, told cable channel GMB that the existence of grooming gangs has been ‘brushed under the carpet’ and that ‘our voices have been silenced.’

She was supported by fellow survivor Fiona Goddard, who was groomed from the age of 14, and said that when she spoke out for help she was dismissed as a ‘child prostitute’ by authorities.

Goddard resigned to protest the cover-up, saying members of the grooming gangs near Bradford were in the ‘vast majority … Pakistani men.’

Successive governments — both Conservative and Labour — have been dealing with the revelations for years that a number of grooming gangs, often consisting mostly of men of South Asian or Pakistani heritage, have sexually exploited girls for decades across the north of England.

Prior to the inquiry, Starmer had commissioned a national audit led by Baroness Louise Casey earlier this year. 

On the hot-button issue of the backgrounds of the criminals, the Casey report stated in part, ‘We found that the ethnicity of perpetrators is shied away from and is still not recorded for two-thirds of perpetrators, so we are unable to provide any accurate assessment from the nationally collected data.’

It continued: ‘Despite the lack of a full picture in the national data sets, there is enough evidence available in local police data in three police force areas which we examined which show disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation, as well as in the significant number of perpetrators of Asian ethnicity identified in local reviews and high-profile child sexual exploitation prosecutions across the country, to at least warrant further examination.’

Her audit also identified other perpetrators, including White British, European, African or Middle Eastern individuals.

The results of the audit produced 12 recommendations to the government, which have been implemented, including a national inquiry to ‘direct local investigations and hold institutions to account for past failures.’ 

But the Starmer government has been set back by a failure to appoint a chair for the inquiry, and it has faced resignations as critics have accused the Labour government of covering it up for political reasons.

Alan Mendoza, founder of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that ‘successive governments’ have allowed ‘gangs of largely South Asian Muslims to target white British girls, claiming, ‘the Labour government doesn’t want to be seen as stigmatizing demographics or potentially losing votes.’

‘I hope that the inquiry will focus more specifically on the real issue plaguing the U.K. over the last 20 years,’ Mendoza added.

The point person for the government’s inquiry is Labour member of Parliament Jess Phillips, who has served as the parliamentary undersecretary of state for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls since July 2024.

However, Phillips is facing heavy scrutiny over how she’s handling the set-up of the inquiry.

Asked in Parliament about the nature of the inquiry and whether it will address the perpetrators’ ethnicity, she vowed to be transparent.

‘There is absolutely no sense that ethnicity will be buried away,’ Phillips said. ‘Every single time that there is an apparently needless delay — even though it took seven months to put in place chairs for both the COVID inquiry and the blood inquiry, and nobody moaned about that — it gets used to say that we want to cover something up. That is the misinformation I am talking about. It will not cover things up. We are taking time to ensure that that can never happen.’

Elon Musk weighed in on the matter in a series of X statements earlier this year, stating that Phillips, was a ‘rape genocide apologist’ and the world was witnessing ‘the worst mass crime against the people of Britain ever.’ 

Philips told the BBC that his comments were ‘disinformation’ and ‘endangering’ her, but said it was nothing compared to what the victims of the abuse had faced. 

Commentators say the challenge for the government now is to find those credible and willing to bring justice and lasting change so it won’t happen again.

Fox News Digital reached out to Phillips’ office but received no response.
 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The biggest question surrounding Lane Kiffin is his future at Ole Miss.

Perhaps the second biggest question is, if Kiffin were to announce his departure from the Rebels, would the Ole Miss administration allow him to coach in the College Football Playoff? Following Friday’s win over rival Mississippi State, the Rebels are a shoo-in for the 12-team playoff field.

Nick Saban, who employed Kiffin at Alabama, suggested Ole Miss should allow Kiffin to coach the Rebels during the playoff run. He also opened up about what he thinks is going into Kiffin’s thought process about switching jobs.

‘I think they should let Lane coach his team, number one,’ Saban said on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’. ‘But I think Lane’s decision is going to come down to one thing. And that thing is just what Marty said: ‘Where is the place that I can recruit the best players?’

‘And I think one of Lane’s apprehensions is that he’s had to use the portal to build his team at Ole Miss each year. And at LSU he probably could recruit better talent and then supplement his team by need with the portal. And that’s probably the dilemma that he has, as well as his loyalty to his team that he’s coaching now, that he wants to be able to continue to coach. So this is a tough thing to have the right answer to.’

Fellow ESPN analyst agreed with Saban that Ole Miss should let Kiffin coach in the CFP, but admitted it’s a tricky situation.

‘The tricky part is the year Ole Miss is having. Forgetting Atlanta and the SEC Championship, this team is the team you don’t wanna play in the CFP right now,’ Kirk Herbstreit said. ‘So I think if you’re in charge at Ole Miss and if Lane decides to go elsewhere, I think you need to set your emotions to the side. You need to look at 2025 and this team with their coach and give them a chance to finish this run. Whoever that might be.

‘That’s the tricky part here. I think there’s no doubt if you talk to the players, some of them have come out and said, ‘We want our coach to coach us to the end.’ So I think Ole Miss’s administration is put in a very tough spot. Because if he were going to stay at Ole Miss — Eli Drinkwitz is already re-upped. Clark Lea is re-upped. Don’t you think we would’ve already seen he’s re-upping and staying at Ole Miss?

‘So there’s chances are he’s going to Baton Rouge. I think Ole Miss has to accept that and look at this as a magical year. You’ve never done what you’re doing right now. Let Lane Kiffin — if he leaves — and these players finish the run this year.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Paul Finebaum thinks an SEC team should make the College Football Playoff.

After Texas’ marquee win over Texas A&M on Nov. 28, the conversation has turned back to out-of-conference scheduling and if Texas should get a Week 1 mulligan after its loss to Ohio State to open the season. The Longhorns (9-3, 6-2 SEC) knocked off the last undefeated team in the SEC to end their regular season in the Lone Star Showdown.

Outside of the Buckeyes, Texas has lost to Florida and Georgia this year, with wins over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt to offset. According to SEC Network analyst Finebaum, Texas’ wins outweigh the losses, and if the Longhorns are left out, it would be unfairly punishing them for scheduling a tough out-of-conference game to open the year.

What did Paul Finebaum say about Texas to CFP?

Finebaum vehemently backed up Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s assertions it would be bad for college football to leave Texas out of the playoffs, and he threw some digs at Curt Cignetti’s Indiana — whose scheduling tendencies have been controversial — in the process.

‘I think that Sarkisian makes a (relevant) point and it’s really about the first game,’ he said. ‘Texas decided to go to Ohio State and play a meaningful game in one of the biggest games of the year in college football. Had they played Kennesaw State which Indiana played or Oklahoma State, one of the worst teams in the country which Oregon played or some of these other competitors… They wouldn’t be in this situation. They had the bad loss to Florida but they have the significant wins which overcome that. So I think they’re gonna be penalized for doing the right thing and that’s wrong. And in my mind, Texas belongs in the College Football Playoff, even with that record.’

To date, no three-loss team has ever made the College Football Playoff, although it’s only Year 2 of the 12-team system.

Finebaum’s desk-mate Roman Harper presented the other side of the argument.

‘I go opposite,’ Harper said. ‘I think you can’t lose to Florida on the road, and unfortunately I thought they picked a good game vs Ohio State. I think you play these games because those early games give you so much leverage down the road if you do win that game. And ultimately I don’t think the committee wants to put a three-loss SEC team in… Yet. I think they wanna wait and see if Alabama gets in. And if Alabama loses the SEC Championship game, that would be their three-loss team in.’

Though Harper brings up Alabama, the bigger question mark will be Vanderbilt. Texas owns the head-to-head over Vanderbilt, but the Commodores (9-2, 5-2 SEC) play a huge game against Tennessee on Nov. 29. The outcome of that game could also set off a chain reaction in the rankings, as Vanderbilt seeks its first CFP appearance.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Ohio State looks to break its four-game losing streak against archrival Michigan in the final week of the regular season with ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ on site.

The No. 1 Buckeyes haven’t beat the Wolverines since 2019. Ohio State has been dominant in 2025, though, led by first-year starting quarterback Julian Sayin and perhaps the best receiver duo in the country with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on the outside.

There are a few other rivalry games across the country with College Football Playoff implications. Alabama travels to face Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Miami faces Pittsburgh on the road and Tennessee hosts Vanderbilt.

Here’s a look at how ‘College GameDay’ picked each of the top matchups in Week 14.

‘College GameDay’ picks for Week 14

Miami at Pittsburgh

  • Desmond Howard: Miami
  • Nick Saban: Miami
  • Pat McAfee: Pittsburgh
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Miami
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Miami

Virginia Tech at Virginia

  • Desmond Howard: Virginia
  • Nick Saban: Virginia
  • Pat McAfee: Virginia
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Virginia
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Virginia

SMU at California

  • Desmond Howard: SMU
  • Nick Saban: Cal
  • Pat McAfee: SMU
  • Aidan Hutchinson: SMU
  • Kirk Herbstreit: SMU

Florida State at Florida

  • Desmond Howard: Florida
  • Nick Saban: Florida
  • Pat McAfee: Florida State
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Florida
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Florida State

Clemson at South Carolina

  • Desmond Howard: Clemson
  • Nick Saban: South Carolina
  • Pat McAfee: South Carolina
  • Aidan Hutchinson: South Carolina
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Clemson

Oregon at Washington

  • Desmond Howard: Oregon
  • Nick Saban: Oregon
  • Pat McAfee: Oregon
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Oregon
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Oregon

Vanderbilt at Tennessee

  • Desmond Howard: Tennessee
  • Nick Saban: Tennessee
  • Pat McAfee: Vanderbilt
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Vanderbilt
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Tennessee

Alabama at Auburn

  • Desmond Howard: Alabama
  • Nick Saban: Alabama
  • Pat McAfee: Alabama
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Alabama
  • Kirk Herbstreit: No pick

Ohio State at Michigan

  • Desmond Howard: Michigan
  • Nick Saban: Ohio State
  • Pat McAfee: Ohio State
  • Aidan Hutchinson: Michigan
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Ohio State
This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The first Power Four conference championship game matchup is set.

It will be Texas Tech vs. Brigham Young in the 2025 Big 12 championship game on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The matchup was determined before either team played their regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 29 thanks to Arizona State losing to Arizona in the battle of the Territorial Cup the day prior. Both teams head into Week 14 with a 7-1 conference record, and while Utah is behind them at 7-2, the Red Raiders and Cougars each own the head-to-head matchup over the Utes to ensure their spots in the Big 12 title game.

It will be a first for whoever wins the Big 12 championship as both teams will be making their first appearance in the conference title game.

The winner of the Texas Tech vs. BYU will clinch the automatic spot to the College Football Playoff. Texas Tech is No. 5 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings and BYU is No. 11.

They met in Week 11 earlier this season in Lubbock, with Texas Tech putting up a dominant defensive performance in a 29-7 win over the Cougars. Heading into Week 14, it’s the only game BYU has lost this season.

Big 12 football standings through Week 14

Here are the Big 12 standings heading into Saturday, Nov. 29:

  • T-1. Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) *conference championship game clinched
  • T-1. BYU (10-1, 7-1) *conference championship game clinched
  • 3. Utah (10-2, 7-2)
  • T4. Arizona (9-3, 6-3)
  • T-4. Arizona State (8-4, 6-3)
  • T-5. Houston (8-3, 5-3)
  • T-5. Cincinnati (7-4, 5-3)
  • T-8. Iowa State (7-4, 4-4)
  • T-8. TCU (7-4, 4-4)
  • T-8. Kansas State (5-6, 4-4)
  • 11. Baylor (5-6, 3-5)
  • 12. Kansas (5-7, 3-6)
  • T-13. UCF (5-6, 2-6)
  • T-13. West Virginia (4-7, 2-6)
  • 15. Colorado (3-8, 1-7)
  • 16. Oklahoma State (1-10, 0-8)
This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Texas football welcomed Mike Elko to his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day on Black Friday.

As the Longhorns took the final kneels to secure a 27-17 win over Texas A&M to knock the Aggies out of the land of unbeaten college football teams, the video board at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas trolled Elko.

Texas played a short clip of Elko calling Texas A&M ‘the flagship program of the state’ last year, with a voiceover saying ‘Sike’ about his comments. That was met by loud cheers from the fans as Texas earned the win.

It only got worse for Elko from there. Following the loss, he lost his cool during his press conference over the noise of the Longhorns celebrating their win over the Aggies.

The loss for Texas A&M knocked to rival Texas knocked it out of the SEC Championship game.

‘Can we close the door and run a professional press conference?’ Elko asked mid-answer.

The good news for Elko and the Aggies: They closed out the season with an 11-1 record, including a 7-1 record in SEC play. Texas A&M has secured a spot in the College Football Playoff and, barring a major upset, should at least have a home first-round game, if not a bye in the opening round.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Munetaka Murakami is one of the more polarizing players available this winter, a record-setting Japanese power hitter set to cross the Pacific facing questions about his ability to translate his gaudy numbers to Major League Baseball.

Posted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami has until Dec. 22 to agree to terms with an MLB team.

The 25-year-old has been one of Japan’s most prolific hitters since debuting as a teenager in 2018. His best year was 2022 when he hit 56 home runs with 134 RBIs, a .318 average and a 1.168 OPS. Murakami won his second Central League MVP award that season, going back-to-back after picking up the hardware – and a Japan Series title – in 2021.

His 56 home runs in 2022 remains the NPB record for a Japanese-born player, surpassing Sadaharu Oh’s previous record of 55 set in 1964. Murakami has primarily played third base, but the left-handed hitter has 266 NPB games at first base and could be used at both corners in addition to designated hitter in MLB.

Murakami played only 69 games in 2025, but his 29.5% strikeout rate in 2024 would have ranked among the 10 worst in MLB, striking out 180 times in 610 plate appearances.

Here are four potential suitors for Murakami:

New York Yankees

There are question marks around the infield for the Yankees, who surely would love to upgrade over Ryan McMahon at third base. You probably don’t want Murakami at the hot corner every day, but he wouldn’t struggle for at-bats and could fit into a nice rotation with McMahon and Ben Rice at first base.

A nine-figure deal for Murakami would look pretty bad in the worst-case scenario, but the Yankees can afford to take the risk on a player who could also turn out to be one of the most prolific power hitters in the game in a best-case scenario.

Chicago Cubs

Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros may become good players but Chicago needs to seize on this window in the NL Central and add a high-upside power hitter. 

The Cubs have had recent success with Japanese imports Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga, meaning they may be less gun-shy on Murakami than other suitors. And Murakami may end up signing a deal similar to the five-year, $85 million contract the Cubs signed Suzuki to before the 2022 season.

San Francisco Giants 

Buster Posey is doing something or other in San Francisco and bringing in another slugging-type would certainly take some of the pressure off Rafael Devers and Willy Adames – who struggled in his first year with the Giants but became the club’s first 30-homer man since Barry Bonds.

Perhaps new manager Tony Vitello could have.Murakami and Devers split time at first base and DH? The Giants will probably continue to fail landing the most elite free agents, but Murakami is the tier that San Francisco needs to be targeting after a four-year postseason drought.

New York Mets

This is where Murakami’s Dec. 22 posting deadline makes things interesting. Will the Mets have a resolution on Pete Alonso before Christmas? If he leaves, how will the club replace the Polar Bear-sized hole in the lineup? 

David Stearns and Co. are making run prevention a priority this winter, but DH looks to be a huge need – with or without Alonso – and Murakami could slot in there.

How the Mets rate Mark Vientos also figures into the equation, with the 25-year-old coming off a disappointing season. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

  • A reporter describes his personal observations about quarterback Shedeur Sanders during his tenure at Colorado.
  • The quarterback is known for his celebratory ‘watch flex’ and has a flair for showmanship, similar to his father, Deion Sanders.
  • Concerns for his NFL career include a tendency to hold onto the ball too long and a history of back injuries.

In the final weeks of his final college season at Colorado in 2024, I got the chance to ask quarterback Shedeur Sanders a certain question about his craft.

This was on Nov. 21, 2024. I would end up watching every one of his 24 starts at Colorado and covered 17 of them in person, plus two spring intrasquad games. In this case, I wanted to know what he had learned from the private quarterback trainer he worked with to improve his game.

His answer provided a glimpse into the kind of player he is. It’s also one of 15 personal observations to share about him now as he takes a bigger stage again, this time as he makes his second NFL start for the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 30 against the San Francisco 49ers.

1. He’s super-serious about his craft

This especially showed when I asked what his private trainer Darrell Colbert Jr., meant to his development as a player. “Everything,” Sanders replied. The rest of his answer showed how important it is for him to work on little details year-round on his own time and dime.

He said it started off with Colbert watching old videos from his days in Jackson State, then working with him on his throwing motion and footwork. “Everything changed,” Sanders said. “Everything’s better. Footwork’s better overall… We just cleaned up a lot of things, just overstriding and tidying up everything.”

2. He’s a good kid, man

He’s always been polite and gracious with reporters, even if they’re kept at a distance in controlled settings. One time in April 2024, I watched him oblige fans at a restaurant in Boulder by posing for pictures with them and even signing autographs on one man’s cheek and another’s bald head.

3. He’s having fun and confident, not arrogant

Some social media critics might have had their sensibilities offended by what he said on CBS before and after his starting debut on Sunday in Las Vegas. ‘I’m who they been looking for,” Shedeur Sanders said before the game after being asked what he hoped to show his team and fans.

It might have sounded to some like he was calling himself the Browns’ savior, but so what? He believes in himself and doesn’t mind putting pressure on himself like that. Isn’t that better than him saying he thought he’d be the next Browns flop?  As his father Deion Sanders says, “Don’t let my confidence offend your insecurity.”

4. He should have been a first-round draft pick

He fell to the fifth round in the NFL draft in April, and five other quarterbacks were picked before him. But there’s no way all five of those players are better than him — and not just because of his accuracy, which was 71.8% in major college football, ranking as the highest ever with a minimum of 875 attempts, according to sports-reference.com.

NFL teams have been historically terrible at forecasting a quarterback’s ability and sometimes overlook a player’s talent for other bad reasons.

5. He’s ‘Grown’

That’s what his father nicknamed him because of uncommonly premature maturity. He doesn’t seem to get angry or ruffled. It showed in his team’s 24-10 win on Sunday when he said afterward he felt “very relaxed” for his starting debut. His father said this week on the ‘Colorado Football Coaches Show’ that Shedeur has been analyzing opposing defenses since age 7. At the same time, he’s only 23 and still might be prone to getting speeding tickets.

6. His watch flex is celebratory and sometimes edgy

This is his signature celebration move. He did it again after beating the Raiders, raising his wrist to the crowd and leading Browns fans to go wild. He said in 2023 he came up with the move on his own spontaneously, creating a cultural moment that soon could reignite. Some have interpreted it as unsportsmanlike at times, like when he flexed to the Arizona State student section after a win in 2023. But those same fans had chanted ‘overrated’ at him earlier.

7. He’s coachable and adapts

He’s had seven offensive coordinators since his first year of college in 2021: Michael Pollock, Jason Phillips, T.C. Taylor and Brett Bartolone at Jackson State, followed by Sean Lewis and Pat Shurmur at Colorado. Now it’s Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees calling plays for Cleveland.

8. He does need to work on some things

He is known to hold onto the ball too long for the same reason people mistakenly think he’s arrogant — because he believes in himself to make a play. I can’t unsee that time in the Alamo Bowl last year when he kept going backward trying to make a play on 3rd-and-3 from the BYU 7-yard line. He ended up getting sacked for a 23-yard loss, forcing his team to settle for a field goal.

9. He’s a tough SOP (Son of Prime)

His team gave up the second-most quarterback sacks in the nation in 2023 (56) and got better in 2024 but still gave up the most sacks in the Big 12 Conference (43). That’s a lot of beatings for a quarterback, but isn’t that kind of what the NFL wants — a quarterback who shows he can take it and get back up for the next play?

10. His back might be an issue

This is the obvious downside to those beatings. He missed his final game in 2023 because he had a fractured back. He downplayed it, but I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a “minor” broken back. He also recently had some issues with his back in Cleveland.

11. Appearance matters to him

And there’s a good reason for it. As his father says, if you look good, you feel good. And if you feel good, you play good. After he beat TCU in his first game for Colorado in 2023, he made sure there was no food stuck in his teeth before talking to reporters. Before appearing at a pop-up retail event in Boulder as a college student in 2024, he pulled up in a Tesla Cybertruck and parked right in front before making his grand entrance in the crowded restaurant.

12. He’s a showman

He is his father’s son in this regard, but he’s less flamboyant than this father. Besides his confident statements, he’s still got the watch flex, the cars, the jewelry and even his personal “Legendary” merchandise with a dollar-sign logo. It’s all part of that persona that he inherited from the master of marketing and endorsement deals — his dad. Self-promotion is smart for business.

13. He knows the Tom Brady story

He also knows Tom Brady, the legendary NFL quarterback. Brady fell to the sixth round of the NFL draft in 2000 before winning seven Super Bowls. Shedeur fell to the fifth round in April. Brady didn’t get a chance to start a game until the previous starter was knocked out of a game with an injury in 2001. Shedeur didn’t get his first chance to start until the previous starter also was knocked out with an injury. It doesn’t mean he’ll win seven Super Bowls, but it does add fuel to his dreams.

14. He might be his father’s favorite in one respect

Deion Sanders has two daughters and three sons. He likes to rank his children from time to time even if he really loves them the same. Shedeur is his youngest son and the first to play in an NFL game, which undeniably delighted the father this week. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was still gushing about it Nov. 25 even though his team is 3-8 this season.

15. He’s built for this

Combine his father’s genes and mentorship with Shedeur’s personal dedication to his craft. Add that to his previous success, toughness, accuracy and willingness to be coached.

What’s the sum of all of that?

An NFL starting quarterback who’s just getting started.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Ohio State star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are available for today’s rivalry game at Michigan.

‘They’re going. They’ve done an unbelievable job this week, and they weren’t going to let this game go by without getting in,’ Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told Fox’s Jenny Taft ahead of today’s The Game.

The Buckeyes listed their two injured stars as questionable on their availability report submitted to the Big Ten. Day suggested earlier this week Smith and Tate were available to practice, but he declined to address their availability for The Game.

Smith and Tate sat out the Buckeyes’ win over Rutgers last weekend as they continued to manage unspecified injuries.

Tate last made an appearance for the Buckeyes in a win over Penn State Nov. 1. He was pulled from warmups the following week at Purdue and has remained unavailable this month.

Smith had not been out until last week, though he saw limited snaps in a rout of UCLA on Nov. 15. He caught four passes for 40 yards against the Bruins before leaving early in the second quarter.

Smith conveyed optimism about his return this week when he joined safety Caleb Downs on his podcast and mentioned that he “should be good to go” against the Wolverines.

Few are as valuable to the Buckeyes’ offense as Smith, a dominant pass catcher who had 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns through 10 games and been a favorite target for quarterback Julian Sayin. He was named one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver earlier this week.

The combined absences of Smith and Tate was noticeable last week against the Scarlet Knights as Ohio State’s wide receivers combined for just four catches for 33 yards. Max Klare, a tight end who transferred from Purdue, led the Buckeyes with seven catches for 105 yards.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

  • Texas’s victory over No. 3 Texas A&M has complicated the College Football Playoff selection process.
  • The Longhorns’ 9-3 record and tough schedule present a strong case, despite losses to teams like Florida.
  • Rejecting Texas could discourage teams from scheduling difficult nonconference opponents in the future.

The College Football Playoff committee just got a tummy ache, and not from eating too many Thanksgiving leftovers. No. 16 Texas strained the committee’s bracket by gobbling up No. 3 Texas A&M, 27-17.

The crowded bubble just gained another team.

Texas’ second-half dominance of the Aggies should force the committee to look at the Longhorns with fresh eyes.

‘We were physical. We were tough,’ Sarkisian said on ABC afterward.

On this night, Texas (9-3) resembled a playoff-caliber team.

Arch Manning makes enough big plays, Marcel Reed struggles

Boy, imagine the retraction the New York Times must consider if Arch Manning and Texas qualify for the playoff. Weeks ago, the Gray Lady questioned whether Manning is the first flop in college football history. Holy hyperbole!

Manning didn’t play great in this one, but he outplayed Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, whose longshot Heisman Trophy hopes went poof. Reed threw two interceptions. Manning supplied two touchdowns.

Jekyll-and-Hyde Texas remains good at home, and vulnerable on the road.

I’m not convinced Texas is a top-10 team, and it will need to be ranked among the committee’s 10-best teams to earn an at-large bid.

I am convinced that if Texas had scheduled a home game against Slappy University in Week 1 instead of a road game against defending national champion Ohio State, the committee would believe Texas is a top-10 team.

Because, with a win against Slappy U. replacing a 14-7 loss against the Buckeyes, Texas would be 10-2.

And a 10-2 record that culminated with a win against previously undefeated Texas A&M would equal a playoff bid.

‘It would be a disservice to our sport if this team’s not a playoff team, when we went and scheduled that non-conference game (at Ohio State),’ Sarkisian said. ‘Because, if we’re a 10-2 team, that’s not a question.’

Therein lies the pitfall in the committee rejecting Texas.

Rejecting the Longhorns because of their record would warn teams against scheduling tough non-conference opponents. Unless the committee changes its ways, the juice of scheduling tough non-conference opponents simply isn’t worth the squeeze, unfortunately.

Does Texas win strain Notre Dame for CFP bracket?

If Texas isn’t a playoff team, then what’s Texas A&M? The Aggies have a better record than Texas, but an inferior schedule.

Texas A&M is in no real danger of missing the playoff, though. The Aggies (11-1) beat committee darling Notre Dame, and although their schedule doesn’t grade as tough as Texas’ compilation, it’s no joke.

The playoff committee has spoken on the great Notre Dame-Miami debate, but now it needs to consider a Notre Dame-Texas debate. The Irish don’t match Texas’ number of quality wins. The Irish failed to beat Texas A&M. The Irish, though, have a better record than Texas, and they didn’t lose to eight-loss Florida.

And that’s where Texas gets tripped up. Qualifying for the playoff revolves around a three-step process.

1. Never lose.

2. If you must lose, don’t lose to bad teams.

3. If you must lose to good teams, don’t get blown out.

Texas lost to a team with a 3-8 record. It lost one too many times. And it got blown out by Georgia, even if the game was close for three quarters.

The Longhorns wouldn’t win a beauty pageant, and, at 9-3, they’d be the first three-loss at-large qualifier in playoff history. Those are a pair of warts, considering the committee usually defaults to record in the rankings, and a team’s subjective “eye test” wields big influence on the committee.

Texas aces neither the eye test nor the record test.

‘Is that what college football is about, to not play anybody and just have a good record?” Sarkisian said.

Unfortunately for Sarkisian and Texas, that’s usually what college football is about: Win the beauty pageant and build a premier record, no matter how meek the schedule.

But, if the playoff is to become an exercise of rewarding teams that can beat other top teams, then Texas should be in the field. The Longhorns own wins against three teams that are ranked in the top 15 of the most recent CFP rankings. If it’s to be about valuing strength of record and strength of schedule, Texas fares well in that conversation, too.

If it’s mostly an exercise of win-loss record, then Slappy U. is going to stay awfully busy with scheduling requests.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

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